The 6th annual 24-hour Genealogy Marathon is happening right now! Register for free here.

The 6th annual 24-hour Genealogy Marathon is happening right now! Register for free here.

By
By
Speakers

Robyn Smith

Historical Records Land Records Methodology and Skills Brick Walls, Friends, Associates, Neighbors (FANs), History Organization

Robyn Smith has been researching her family and others for over twenty-five years. She specializes in court and land records, genealogy skill building, and slavery research. A respected speaker in the field, Robyn has lectured widely at genealogy conferences, for genealogical societies across the U.S., and for institutions such as the Maryland State Archives, the National Archives (Atlanta), and the Smithsonian African American Museum. Her lectures on Legacy Family Webinars have garnered thousands of views, and she has written for Family Tree Magazine. Robyn writes extensively, and has published articles in the peer-reviewed Maryland Genealogical Society Journal and the National Genealogical Society Quarterly Journal. From 2008-2015, Robyn taught an
advanced genealogy class at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland.

Centered around her passion for family research, writing and teaching remain the heartbeat of Robyn’s work. For more than twelve years, she has authored a popular genealogy teaching blog called Reclaiming Kin. Her blog focuses on growing genealogical research skills for all genealogists, and the unique challenges of researching American slavery. Posts at Reclaiming Kin have been referenced by The Washington Post, The New York Times, Ancestry, Maryland Public Television, and the Library of Virginia, among others.

Robyn's Webinars (6)

45:59
Methodology and Skills
Breathing Life into Ancestral Stories: Using Social History in Genealogical Research
Robyn Smith
865 views
Free
Breathing Life into Ancestral Stories: Using Social History in Genealogical Research
Have you ever wondered what your ancestors' lives were like beyond the names, dates, and places? While these fundamental details form the backbone of genealogical research, they often fail to capture the imagination of family members who aren't as passionate about genealogy. The key to engaging your relatives and bringing your ancestors to life lies in incorporating social and community history into your family narratives. While time travel remains the stuff of science fiction, we can carefully reconstruct the historical context in which our ancestors lived. In this session, Robyn describes approaching social history by using conventional genealogical records in new ways, and using unconventional genealogical records. This session includes multiple examples of how to incorporate our findings into our writing for more creative storytelling. By embracing social history and looking beyond traditional genealogical facts, we can create compelling narratives that bring our ancestors to life. This approach not only enriches our understanding of family history but also captivates the interest of relatives who might otherwise remain indifferent.
Methodology and Skills
Breathing Life into Ancestral Stories: Using Social History in Genealogical Research
Free
Robyn Smith
865 views
Have you ever wondered what your ancestors' lives were like beyond the names, dates, and places? While these fundamental details form the backbone of genealogical research, they often fail to capture the imagination of family members who aren't as passionate about genealogy. The key to engaging your relatives and bringing your ancestors to life lies in incorporating social and community history into your family narratives. While time travel remains the stuff of science fiction, we can carefully reconstruct the historical context in which our ancestors lived. In this session, Robyn describes approaching social history by using conventional genealogical records in new ways, and using unconventional genealogical records. This session includes multiple examples of how to incorporate our findings into our writing for more creative storytelling. By embracing social history and looking beyond traditional genealogical facts, we can create compelling narratives that bring our ancestors to life. This approach not only enriches our understanding of family history but also captivates the interest of relatives who might otherwise remain indifferent.
Thu, April 3 2025: 22:00 UTC
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1:25:49
Methodology and SkillsOrganization
Putting it All Together: Making Sense of All the Research You’ve Done
Robyn Smith
2.5K views
CC
Putting it All Together: Making Sense of All the Research You’ve Done
If you are like most genealogists, over the years you’ve amassed a mountain of documents, binders and files. You want to tell the story of your family, but don’t know where or how to begin. This lecture is for you. Robyn will share examples of the kinds of tables and tools she uses to organize, analyze and properly cite all those records you have collected. Get better organized. Understand what records you already have. Get rid of all those papers. Cite your sources with ease. Finally-- put it all together!
Methodology and SkillsOrganization
Putting it All Together: Making Sense of All the Research You’ve Done
CC
Robyn Smith
2.5K views
If you are like most genealogists, over the years you’ve amassed a mountain of documents, binders and files. You want to tell the story of your family, but don’t know where or how to begin. This lecture is for you. Robyn will share examples of the kinds of tables and tools she uses to organize, analyze and properly cite all those records you have collected. Get better organized. Understand what records you already have. Get rid of all those papers. Cite your sources with ease. Finally-- put it all together!
Thu, June 15 2023: 0:00 UTC
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1:29:22
Methodology and Skills
Proving Identity: Not Matching Names
Robyn Smith
2.8K views
CC
Proving Identity: Not Matching Names
Genealogy records are full of people living in the same place with the same name. How can you discern which one refers to your ancestor? We can’t rely on just names; we’ve got to prove identity. In this lecture, Robyn explains the concept and provides guidelines to ensure that we don’t confuse our ancestor with others in the community.
Methodology and Skills
Proving Identity: Not Matching Names
CC
Robyn Smith
2.8K views
Genealogy records are full of people living in the same place with the same name. How can you discern which one refers to your ancestor? We can’t rely on just names; we’ve got to prove identity. In this lecture, Robyn explains the concept and provides guidelines to ensure that we don’t confuse our ancestor with others in the community.
Thu, January 12 2023: 1:00 UTC
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59:41
Historical Records
Fruit of the Earth: Using Deeds to Uncover Your Ancestors
Robyn Smith
491 views
CC
Fruit of the Earth: Using Deeds to Uncover Your Ancestors
Deed Records are one of the best records for researching family history, but their legal language can intimidate even seasoned researchers. In this session, Ms. Smith describes the various ways that land records can help our genealogical research not just on our ancestors, but also on the communities in which they lived. Land records can tie together multiple generations of a family and provide evidence for relationships. They can also shed light on the social history of a locale, which is important information to add context to the lives of our ancestors.
Historical Records
Fruit of the Earth: Using Deeds to Uncover Your Ancestors
CC
Robyn Smith
491 views
Deed Records are one of the best records for researching family history, but their legal language can intimidate even seasoned researchers. In this session, Ms. Smith describes the various ways that land records can help our genealogical research not just on our ancestors, but also on the communities in which they lived. Land records can tie together multiple generations of a family and provide evidence for relationships. They can also shed light on the social history of a locale, which is important information to add context to the lives of our ancestors.
Fri, September 23 2022: 10:00 UTC
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1:24:50
Methodology and Skills
Cluster Research: Using Groups of People to Find Your People
Robyn Smith
2.1K views
CC
Cluster Research: Using Groups of People to Find Your People
Our ancestors did not live in a vacuum. They lived, worked, socialized, and married in the midst of a larger group of people. Those people included not just family members but friends, neighbors, employers and fellow employees, fellow churchgoers, and business associates. Genealogists often refers to this group with the…
Methodology and Skills
Cluster Research: Using Groups of People to Find Your People
CC
Robyn Smith
2.1K views
Our ancestors did not live in a vacuum. They lived, worked, socialized, and married in the midst of a larger group of people. Those people included not just family members but friends, neighbors, employers and fellow employees, fellow churchgoers, and business associates. Genealogists often refers to this group with the…
Thu, September 23 2021: 0:00 UTC
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1:29:38
Methodology and Skills
Do You Have an Artificial Brick Wall?
Robyn Smith
14.8K views
CC
Do You Have an Artificial Brick Wall?
Genealogists are famous for their brick walls. However, many of the things we call “brick walls” are more likely the result of some common errors, such as relying too heavily on the Internet, not reviewing original sources and focusing too closely on only the person or couple of interest. These…
Methodology and Skills
Do You Have an Artificial Brick Wall?
CC
Robyn Smith
14.8K views
Genealogists are famous for their brick walls. However, many of the things we call “brick walls” are more likely the result of some common errors, such as relying too heavily on the Internet, not reviewing original sources and focusing too closely on only the person or couple of interest. These…
Wed, January 13 2021: 1:00 UTC
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